Celebrity Car Crash Leads to Wrongful Death Claim

Jeff Rasansky, managing partner of Rasansky Law Firm, is an aggressive Dallas personal injury lawyer with 25 years of legal experience.

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In June of 2011, Ryan Dunn, famous for his role on the show “Jackass” was involved in a fatal car crash with a friend. Dunn was driving his vehicle at 132 miles per hour when he struck a tree. The accident occurred in Pennsylvania and ended up taking the life of his friend, as well as his own. According to reports on Reuters, the family of the actor’s friend has filed a wrongful death lawsuit over the accident.

Deadly Drinking and Driving

The lawsuit alleges that Dunn was drunk at the time of the accident. According to the reporting, the lawsuit names Ryan Dunn and the establishment where he was drinking before the accident took place. In the lawsuit, it is alleged that the establishment was negligent because they kept giving him alcohol after he was obviously intoxicated. It also alleges that Dunn was negligent because of having driven drunk and because of the fact that he was driving at such a high speed at the time of the crash.

Wrongful Death Lawsuits

As the article points out, it is possible to file a lawsuit against somebody who is deceased. The difference is, obviously, that you will be dealing with representatives of that person’s estate rather than dealing with the person themselves. This lawsuit goes after the actor’s estate.

If you are injured in a car accident or if you went through the hardship of losing a family member in a car accident due to negligence, remember that you may have more options than seems obvious. For example, if the person who did end up causing you harm in the crash died in that same crash, you should speak with an attorney about filing a lawsuit against their estate to see if you can get compensation for the injuries that you suffered.

Negligent Servers

The case also brings up an important issue with people who serve alcohol for a living. They are required to act responsibly when they serve. There are even cases in Texas where establishments have been sued because they continued to serve somebody who is obviously drunk and then that person went on to hurt someone else because of driving intoxicated or for some other reason. The “dram shop laws” are laws in different states that make facilities that sell liquor responsible for over-serving customers if it results in harm. Dram shop laws are what allow attorneys to file suits against bars.

If you are in a similar situation, speak to a dallas drunk driving accident attorney about how they may be able to help you. You may very well be able to seek compensation for your injuries in court.

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